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It seems to us: Another Obama at Harvard, ‘forever’ costs less and calling TRAPPIST-1

Malia Obama has chosen to defer for one year her enrollment at Harvard University, one of many students electing to take a “gap” year. Once rare, many colleges now support the choice for incoming freshmen.

We’re sure this soon-to-be graduate of Sidwell Friends School in Washington will have plenty on her to-do list for that year between high school and college.

Besides volunteering or traveling or whatever it is she has planned, the year off will allow the oldest child of the lame-duck president to start school without all the attention she faces for being a first daughter. That should make her first day of college in the fall of 2017 a lot less stressful.

Malia is folllowing her parents to Harvard. The president and first lady both have Harvard law degrees.

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It’s hard to blame people for not being aware that the Postal Service has reduced the price of a first-class stamp, down to 47 cents from 49. When has that ever happened? In fact, it’s the first time in nearly 97 years, according to news reports.

The price cut occurred last month, and stems from an earlier agreement with Congress. Back in 2014, the post office was allowed to bump up the price of stamps by 3 cents to help raise an additional $4.6 billion in revenue. The price increase was supposed to last only two years, but one cent of the increase stays on, thanks to inflation.

Americans who still snail mail get to pocket a couple of pennies when they buy new stamps. At the other end of the spectrum are people who bought “forever” stamps at 49 cents.

It’s no surprise that the post office wanted the entire increase to stay in effect. But one day the financially beleaguered institution is almost certain to bump the price again, which will make those 49-cent “forevers” a bargain.

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Good news from space: Another star, helpfully described in a news account as “just 40 light years away,” has orbiting it not just one, but three planets that could possibly sustain life.

The planets are about Earth-size, but they circle a star much smaller than our sun. The star, which goes by the ungainly name of TRAPPIST-1, is known as an ultracool dwarf and is a little bigger than Jupiter.

Here’s how small it is: The innermost planets take just 1.5 and 2.4 Earth days to circle it. The outer one, more discreet in its habits, is thought to take somewhere between 4 and 73 days.

We know what you’re thinking and the answer is yes: Any of the planets could be suitable habitation for any of the current presidential candidates. Only transportation is an issue. But we’re betting Donald Trump is already moving to name all three for himself.